Those following the glass eel story this year will understand the fishery and associated conservation activities are in a very dark place. I don’t have the answer, but I do know there isn’t sufficient monitoring or understanding of glass eels on the Severn to inform decisions.

In 1392 Richard II eliminated tariffs on eel imports, & asked foreign merchants to bring eels "from over sea, where they are abundant, to London where they are dear." He knew that higher tariffs meant getting less of what you want. Oh, the lessons that history can teach us...

We love eels, yesterday lots of our volunteers were lucky enough to see more than 6,000 released in the Kennet by the Environment Agency The European eel release is part of a multi-year reintroduction and monitoring project spread over a number of sites on the Kennet and Og. #eels

World Eel Day 2025!16th May - Huge thanks to @foxsnails for another fantastic poster and for suggesting this year's optional theme: Eelvasion! Tag/# us in your eel activities to get involved #eels #worldeelday #worldeelday2025 eels.cargo.site

In 1200 CE, people in England paid 540,000+ eels in rent each year. That's a lot, right? RIGHT? Yes. But. Those were *just* the eels for rent. People were catching & eating LOTS more. In 1290, fishermen in the village of Ramsey caught 365,000 eels, above & beyond rent eels. 1/4

Eels used to be big business in London. But how big? In the 19th C. the city imported 1.6 million lbs. of eels every year. And they were almost all "Dutch Eels." 1.5 million lbs. of those eels came from the Dutch, who sold them live from ships anchored in the Thames. 1/3

Glorious evening out in the Severn Estuary with the lave netting succession plan. Lots of juvenile mullet caught and released. He’s keen to go out before breakfast tomorrow to catch “a big one.” Suppose I’d better tag along!

Wow!

Some fun personal news: this morning I received an award from Sustainable Eel Group, recognizing my public outreach and work in making people care about eels. Follow your dreams, kids! If you make enough bad eel puns, for long enough, then somebody will slip up and give you an award.

She was way ahead of her time, and mankind has taken far too long to listen to her.

I’ve been getting plenty of river time of late, mostly spent in the company of Matt Hart. The Severn estuary is still a place full of wonder, what a playground to have. Great to see a few salmon as well. Please scroll on down to see a few photos of how the lave net is used.1/2

A few people have asked what we do with the fish. We’re now a total catch and release fishery, preserving the knowledge of the heritage fishery, once a huge part of Severnside communities, while minimising any impact to salmon stocks. A good balance. Vid by Matt Hart….and away

I’m not sure if there’s a heaven but having a giant pasty in Cornwall is pretty close

Costas Kadis EU Maritime & Fish EU Environment Europol Low Impact Fishers of Europe Wetlands International WWF Defra UK

Making memories out in the Severn Estuary with the youngest lave netter. He was spotting looms (marks of fish swimming), stalking them and caught some mullet (very tricky to spot and catch). When his time comes, netting his first salmon will be a cakewalk.

Mix of science, education & local culture used to save IUCN Red List CR freshwater fish 🤩 Amelia Hill writes about Sustainable Eel Group for Guardian Environment “Sometimes we do science, sometimes we do a river blessing. But it’s all about connection.” Vanessa B-H theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/a…

We made it into the paper! Very grateful for the coverage 🙂 as our family grows Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/a…

Kudos to BBC Radio 4 for reporting from Somerset on the battle to save eels Vanessa B-H talks about how eels were interwoven into local culture. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall talks eels as food but now IUCN Red List CR Missed it? Listen again 👇🏼 BBC Audio | Today | 29/08/2025 share.google/1055EuDdkEFalR…

Today we write to reaffirm our commitment to conserving all freshwater eels. Our approach is grounded in the indivisibility of social, environmental, and economic imperatives, and in the need for global governance. Discover the full story on our website: sustainableeelgroup.org/?p=12834

A Pop Legend. And now an Environmental Warrior!